Play GTA V as if it were Skyrim

Grand Theft Auto V hit store shelves over a little over a year ago, and will follow that by releasing on Windows machines early next year. However, in just two weeks, Rockstar’s crime opus will finally make its way to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Aside from the obvious graphical upgrade, the new iteration will feature a first-person mode that was absent from the prior versions. Is it a big enough addition to offer last-gen players something new? Will it be a big enough draw to pull in new players?

While a first-person perspective usually makes for a better aiming experience, it also removes your third-person periphery — the ability to see in places your character can’t, such as seeing what’s on the other side of a corner by swinging the camera in its direction. With a first-person perspective, you essentially have to swing your character around that corner to see what dangers lie in wait. In GTA, that means you can’t necessarily see where the police cars are coming from, but will have to rely on your other video game senses.

According to Rob Nelson, animation director for Rockstar, the first-person mode could only exist thanks to the power of current-gen consoles — specifically, thanks the amount of available memory. Adding a first-person view mean meant that animations needed to be retooled to fit the new perspective, which meant the console needed enough memory for both perspectives. Furthermore, the more models and NPCs needed to be added in order to more densely populate the screen. Like Bethesda’s Skyrim and Oblivion before it — the game works in third-person mode, but is best experienced in first; Rockstar wanted to make sure both modes were a top-notch experience, rather than making sure one mode simply worked correctly.

The PS4 and Xbox One version of GTA V releases November 18 of this year, and thanks to the inclusion of a first-person mode, appears to be the most complete version of the game.